Written question asked by Robert Buckland (Conservative) on Monday, 20 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 22 May 2024. It was answered by Helen Whately (Conservative) on Friday, 24 May 2024 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Social Services

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of working-aged adults that have not received adult social care following an approach to their local authority in the last 12 months.

Answer: A total of 611,590 adults aged between 18 and 64 years old made requests for social care support in 2022/23. Of these, 216,135, or 35.3%, did not receive support from their local authority. Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, the local authority should then carry out a financial assessment to determine what they can afford to contribute towards the cost of meeting their care need. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.

Secondary information